One of John Browning’s early automatic pistol designs, the Colt Model 1902 Military evolved from his Model 1900. Manufactured by Colt under Browning’s patents, it incorporated revisions intended to address shortcomings identified during military evaluation of the earlier design. The Model 1900, commonly known as the “sight-safety” model for its distinctive safety mechanism, had been submitted for U.S. military trials but was not adopted.
Development continued with the Model 1902 Military. Colt shipped the first 100 pistols for U.S. military trials on July 15, 1902, followed by a second shipment of 100 on July 25. These shipment dates are documented by Douglas G. Sheldon in Colt’s .38 Automatic Pistols, page 113.
Although the Model 1902 Military was not adopted as the U.S. military’s standard service pistol, it represents an important stage in the development of Colt’s automatic pistols preceding the Model 1911. Its design features, unusual serial-number sequence, and surviving shipping records provide distinct avenues for examining that history.
Black Army Research explores these subjects through individual examples, shipping information, original photographs, and videos—including range footage—with particular attention to early commercial pistol serial 14857.
Army evaluation of the Model 1900 contract pistols prompted further refinement of Colt’s .38 automatic design. In his discussion of the Model 1902 Military’s development and Army purchase, Douglas G. Sheldon identifies the following improvements:
● Magazine capacity increased from seven to eight rounds.
● A slide-lock mechanism held the slide open after the last shot.
● A spring-loaded takedown plug facilitated field stripping.
● The sight-safety mechanism was eliminated, with corresponding changes including a shorter firing pin and a rear sight adjustable laterally.
● Checkered hard-rubber grips.
● Cross-hatched gripping serrations at the front of the slide.
● A lanyard swivel mounted on the lower-left portion of the grip frame.
The increased magazine capacity required a longer grip frame, which also provided space for the lanyard attachment. Together, these details establish the early configuration examined here and provide a basis for studying the individual examples illustrated below.
Source: Douglas G. Sheldon, Colt’s .38 Automatic Pistols, p. 113.
Colt began shipping the Model 1902 Military commercially in July 1902. According to Douglas G. Sheldon, approximately 75 pistols were shipped to commercial sources between July and December of that year.[1]
The commercial serial-number sequence began at 15000 and proceeded in descending order. One particularly noteworthy example is serial 14857, which occupies the 144th numerical position in that sequence.
Serial 14857 was shipped to Simmons Hardware Company in St. Louis, Missouri, on January 16, 1903. A Colt archive letter dated March 8, 2023, documents the pistol as one of ten of the same type included in that shipment. Drawing upon Colt’s original shipping records, the letter specifies a six-inch barrel and blue finish; the type of stocks is not listed. These particulars establish the pistol’s recorded configuration and destination at shipment, but do not identify its eventual purchaser or subsequent ownership.[2]
The archive letter records the finish of serial 14857 simply as “blue.” Sheldon describes early Model 1902 Military pistols more specifically as having a deeply polished charcoal-blue finish, with selected small parts—including the trigger, magazine catch, rear sight, pins, screws, barrel links, and takedown plug—finished in fire blue. Surviving traces of these finishes are visible on serial 14857 and are examined more closely in the accompanying article.[3]
The shipment date provides a documented point in this pistol’s history, distinct from its date of assembly. As Sheldon cautions, pistols were not assembled or shipped in numerical order. Accordingly, serial 14857’s numerical position within the commercial sequence should not be interpreted as its precise order of manufacture.[4]
The photographs below illustrate this example and its early-production features. A more detailed examination appears in the accompanying article devoted to serial 14857.
A detailed examination of the pistol’s finish, markings, matching-numbered slide, and other surviving features appears in the complete study of Colt Model 1902 Military serial 14857
Sources:
[1] Douglas G. Sheldon, Colt’s .38 Automatic Pistols, p. 101.
[2] Colt Archive Properties LLC, archive letter for Colt Model 1902 Military serial 14857, March 8, 2023, signed by Beverly Jean Haynes, Historian.
[3] Sheldon, Colt’s .38 Automatic Pistols, p. 98.
[4] Sheldon, Colt’s .38 Automatic Pistols, p. 113.
The Colt Model 1902 Military did not follow a single ascending serial-number sequence. Its numbering comprised a separate Army trial block, a descending commercial sequence, and two subsequent ascending blocks. Sheldon’s reference provides the following overview:
The Army trial pistols were shipped in two batches: serials 15001–15100 on July 15, 1902, and serials 15101–15200 on July 25, 1902.[2] Commercial numbering proceeded downward from 15000, reaching the end of that block in the period Sheldon assigns to 1907. His chart also places both subsequent numbering transitions within that year.[1]
These periods require careful interpretation. Sheldon explains that his chart for 1902–1916 more closely reflects shipment dates than production dates. For 1917–1928, it more closely reflects production dates, because shipments were at times substantially out of serial-number order. He groups 1917–1919 together and specifically notes the erratic serial numbers of pistols completed during those years.[1]
The overview therefore provides historical context rather than an exact date for every pistol. An individual example’s shipment history should be established through a factory record, archive letter, or another identified source.
[1] Douglas G. Sheldon, Colt’s .38 Automatic Pistols, p. 97.
Colt Model 1902 Military serial 14857, resting above its reflection. This view highlights the swivel-mounted lanyard ring at the lower-left corner of the lengthened grip frame.
A visual examination of early commercial Colt Model 1902 Military serial 14857, showing its external markings and features from multiple viewpoints. This original Black Army Research footage complements the photographs and shipping information presented on this page.
A close examination of the nickel-finished magazine, showing all sides and its stamped markings. The footage provides a visual reference for the magazine’s external configuration and identifying details.
Original Black Army Research footage of Colt Model 1902 Military serial 14857 being fired at the range. Standard-speed and slow-motion sequences show this early commercial pistol in operation.
The Colt Model 1902 Military was chambered in .38 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol), also known as .38 Automatic. Higher-pressure .38 Super ammunition must not be used in these pistols.
The Military Model has a lengthened, square-butt grip frame accommodating an eight-round magazine, a swivel-mounted lanyard ring at the lower-left corner, and a slide lock that holds the slide open after the last shot. The Sporting Model has a shorter grip frame with a rounded heel, a seven-round magazine, and lacks the Military Model’s lanyard ring and slide-lock mechanism.
Approximately 18,000 Colt Model 1902 Military pistols were manufactured between 1902 and 1928. Production encompassed both descending and ascending serial-number blocks, as outlined in the serial-number reference above.
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